National Cancer Awareness Day is annually observed across India on November 7th with an aim to create awareness about the prevention and early detection of cancer.
The observance of National Cancer Awareness Day on November 7th also marks the birth anniversary of Polish-French physicist and chemist, Marie Curie, who won the Nobel Prize in 1903 for Physics, in 1911 for Chemistry.
Background:
i.In 2014, then Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Dr Harsh Vardhan, announced that the 7th November will be annually observed across India as National Cancer Awareness Day.
ii.The first National Cancer Awareness Day was observed on 7th November 2014.
iii.The day honours Marie Curie whose works (discovery of radioactivity) led to the development of nuclear energy and radiotherapy for cancer treatment.
Cancer:
i.Cancer is a group of diseases which can start in any organ or tissue of the body due to abnormal cells growing uncontrollably beyond their boundaries.
ii.According to the World Health Organisation(WHO), Cancer is one of the leading causes of death across the globe, cancer accounts for an estimated 9.6 million deaths in 2018.
Early Detection:
- Early diagnosis identifies the symptomatic cancer at earliest possible stages.
- Screening assists to identify individuals with abnormalities suggestive of a specific cancer or pre-cancer.
India’s Efforts to prevent Cancer:
National Cancer Registry Programme(NCRP):
i.National Cancer Registry Programme(NCRP) was initiated in 1982 by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
ii.The registries are of 2 types; Population Based Cancer Registry and Hospital Based Cancer Registries which were started in January 1982.
National Cancer Control Programme(NCCP):
i.National Cancer Control Programme(NCCP) was launched in 1975 with an objective to equip the premier cancer hospital or institutions.
ii.The evaluation of NCCP was done by the National Institute of Health & Family Welfare, New Delhi.
National Institute of Cancer prevention and research (NICPR):
National Institute of Cancer prevention and research (NICPR) was initially established as Cytology Research Centre (CRC) by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) in 1979, and was elevated to the level of an Institute in 1989.
About Ministry of Health and Family Welfare(MoHFW):
Union Minister– Dr Mansukh Mandaviya
Minister of State– Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar
